I read and reviewed From These Dark Abodes by Lyndsie Manusos as part of the SFINCS3 novella contest. My review is honest, and my opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my team (Team TBR).
From These Dark Abodes is a tale full of characters with names from mythology, but rather than being set in the Underworld, we find ourselves inside a dilapidated gothic manor house.
Lethe and Petunia are the horrified servants to a group of skin-shedding skeletons who party all night while their captive servants bring them drinks and rewind the gramophone when needed. It is a pitiful, hideous existence that they dread every day as they clean up after the revelries and search the manor for a nonexistent escape route.
Details about Lethe and Petunia’s pasts are gradually revealed as the story develops until we get to a big reveal for Lethe, which I will not spoil here. Petunia’s devastation at having been captured away from her new baby and husband is heartbreaking, and Lethe’s unrequited romantic feelings for Petunia are palpable. These characters are so well-written, I was quickly rooting for them to discover some kind of escape route.
The skeletons are cruel and hedonistic. They are eager to shed their skins and their humanity as soon as their hostess and leader, Erinyes, gives them the opportunity each evening:
“…everyone had a reason for wanting to leave their own body. A trauma to escape from, to unzip from their skins and celebrate a night without its heaviness.”
The act of shedding their skins is repulsive to the two servant girls, and they try to be absent from the parlour when it happens:
“Rhada reached behind his head, grasped his hair, and pulled forward. The skin on his face began to loosen and fall limp. His forehead wrinkled and flopped. His scalp came off first, obscuring his face. Bright hazel eyes pinched and squelched, popping from the sockets.”
From These Dark Abodes is a gripping mixture of Greek mythology and dark, gothic horror with atmospheric prose that had me hooked from the beginning. I loved it and would urge anyone who enjoys gothic horror, mythology, and original story ideas to give it a try!
